There's Such a Sad Love
by Hello Kitty Speedboat
Summary: It's hard to fall in love in someone whose practically immortal, a Goblin King no less. The Labyrithian world has crossed over into Sarah's world.Jareth must use a face that is not his own in order to suffice his loss of the child. JS
1. Memories

There's Such a Sad Love

By Kristin

A/N: Okay, I hope this isn't like stuff already out there, but I'm trying my best. However, I do not own the labyrinth or anything to do with the movie.

Chapter One

_The Goblin King stalked across his threshold, a magnificent velvet cape trailed behind him as he strode, and a menacing icy sneer was plastered on his face. Ahead of him was the only portal between the Labyrinth and the mortal world. He couldn't turn back now, he had to reclaim what was rightfully his and fulfill the destiny of his kingdom. It wasn't over, it was only the beginning._

"I am NEVER going to get this…." A frustrated Sarah Williams slammed a tired hand down on the table, sending a stack of note cards flying and her pen to roll off the table. She heavily sighed, watching as the pen fell absently. _Okay, calm down, it's just a stupid pen_. She reminded herself as she bent down to retrieve the pen. Lately, all she had done was beat herself up like this. It wasn't good, people warned her of the stresses she'd endure at college. And all she had done was turn a cheek and ignore them. She always knew she could do things by herself, her own way, she never would let anybody tell her what to do.

A lifetime full or memories, boxed inside childhood toys, were all scattered on the floor now of her apartment. Before indulging herself with a Musical History essay that needed to be done for the next day, she had gone through a little bit of it. Toby had claim of a few of those items, like her bears (namely Lancelot) and other stuffed animals; but a few things remained with her, like the labyrinth game, her notebooks, her books, her play props, as old dress…..and the thin red book with gold print titled **The Labyrinth**. Earlier, she tried to recite a few lines and was surprised by how much she could remember. It amused her for a time, then she tossed it aside after she convinced herself it was all a game, it was nothing, it wasn't real…..it was time for her to grow up, finally.

Still, as her back was facing the book on the floor, she felt drawn to it. The essay she was trying to write was in front of her, her eyes were on it, studying it, and yet she couldn't concentrate on it. That's why she couldn't get it, it wasn't sticking in her head. Only the few lines she practiced everyday replayed in her mind. _Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a break…._

She sighed again and looked at the clock. It was nearing midnight, the essay needed to be done by at least 10 tomorrow morning, and she had been working since 9 that night. _okay…_, she thought to herself and concluded that she could take a five minute break. After all, she was on page 5 of the essay, only one more page to go and she could simply whip something up within the next hour or even tomorrow morning.

She kneeled onto the floor of her bedroom, sinking into the beige carpet. She crossed her legs and slowly reached for the book on the floor. A gold ribbon still held her place where it said: "Through Dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the Goblin City to take back the child you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom is great, you have no power over me." She read and reread that line several times then, recollecting memories by the lake……then the night it all happened.

Often something would strike her memory, it always happened randomly. And each time, she tried to push those thoughts of the Labyrinth and all it's magical beings to the back of her mind. In part, it ached her to think of the friends she missed. They told her that she could reach them whenever she needed. However, she never tried. Not after that night, anyway, she never tried. It was either fear of missing them afterwards or a certain disbelief, but Sarah couldn't tell. The only thing she knew was that she didn't want to try, she didn't want to bring back that fantasy back. She wanted to throw it away like she was doing with the rest of her childhood.

She flipped through a few more pages, becoming easily distracted by it's written word and enchanting verses. The clock chimed in the hour, one AM, before she even returned to reality. A cool draft nicked her shoulder. She looked up and saw that the window she could have sworn was closed,was not. "How strange…" she muttered allowed and she stood up to close it. The red book slid onto the floor in silence, she did not retrieve it, but rather let it lie there. It was open to the page she always had marked.

Sarah fought hard with sleep the next day during classes, nearly every second her head was tilting and her eyes were fluttering. Then as she was about to be engrossed by sleep, she'd jerk herself awake and remind herself that she was still in class. Not only she not sleep well the past night, her head filled up on her memories (good and bad), but this morning she had woken extra early to finish her essay which was given an extension anway.

It felt like eternity, but alas the end came. She gathered up her books to make leave and struggled to get out the door before anybody else.

"H---h---uh----Hey Sarah….." Zack Bentley called from behind her. Sarah gave one of her perturbed sighs and turned back around. The other students shoved past her with no care while she waited for him to catch up.

"Hi, Zack…" She said quietly, clutching her books against her.

"Hey…um…" He came to her side and ran a hair through his greasy black mop, the hair only just flopped back in his face and knocked his glasses slightly. "….what's up?"

"Nothing….I've got to get home, though," she told him as she started walking. He had probably expected her to stand and chat with him rather than start walking. Only she was too eager and he was just a pain.

"Oh, mind if I follow?"

"…Um…yes…..I meant that I am going back home, home…..to my parents house…" She said ineptly, not daring to look his way.

"Oh. That's cool….I guess….."

"Yea, I'm going for the weekend. My step-mother needs me to stay with my little brother while her and my father go away."

"Oh."

"Yup." She hastened her step, thankful now that she actually had something to do, fervent to get away from his advances.

"Well….have a good weekend then…." He stopped, to her liking, and turned to walk the other way. Sarah cast her eyes on him with a momentary feeling of guilt. She felt bad for always disappointing him, but she couldn't help how she felt. Not a guy since High School had much interested her. There was always something wrong with them, some reason she found in them that turned her off. It was almost like none of them were good enough for the littlest reason. She knew she was looking for something more.

Anyway, she continued to the apartment down her street. The wind blew her short black hair in her face. There was still that natural beauty that embraced her. The little girlish freckles and bright brown eyes. Just like her mother.

These days, Sarah and her Step-mother had been getting along fairly well. Otherwise, Sarah wouldn't have offered to take care of Toby this weekend, but for all the years of crap that Sarah had given her Step-Mother, she figured that she owed her that….a weekend of no children.

The apartment felt so lonely. Perhaps that was also why Sarah had chosen to stay with Toby. She was alone and often needed that fix of someone, anybody. Even her own family, the people she thought she hated most in the world. When she went away to college, she found they were the people she missed most in the world.

She let her books drop carelessly onto the bed. It was her way of letting go of work until Sunday, when she'd really take care of it. Of course, though, she'd take a little work with her.

As she packed, she side stepped the collection of her old junk. She crossed the floor to her table to straighten the papers she had out the night before, then felt them quiver in her hands. Another cold breeze struck her. She looked over the her left to see that the window was open again. It was nearing that bitter fall season now and Sarah knew better than to leave that open, but she couldn't figure why it had opened now and last night. "Must be broken…" she muttered to no one as she used her might to shut the window. This time she made sure to use her strength to secure it's closer.

On her way back to her open suitcase, she nearly trampled her book. She bent down to pick it up, only when she reached out her hand to grace it's pages, she noticed a white feather beside it. "How strange…" she looked toward the window and saw another on the sill.

She walked back to the window and peered outside. The sky was dim and gray, no birds should've been in sight and yet when she looked to the trees ahead, she could have sworn that in one of them was a white and brown owl, perched and staring her way.

End of Chapter one

I hope you kids liked that. I'm not too sure so far, I wasn't sure exactly what was to happen in this chapter, so I did the best I could. The next chapter should be better and a little more exciting and I'll bring back in the actual labyrinth deal. Okay? Okay. Be sure to comment, I will gladly take constructive criticism. My grammar isn't the best so if you see any problems, please tell me. And I'm not sure how this will be rated yet so I think I'll stick with teen for now. Okay, I think that's it. Thanks for much for reading!

PS- I apologize for the grammatical errors I made when I had written this version first. I have edited it now and it should be all good. I'm sorry.


	2. Back Home

**Chapter Two**

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys, that's awesome to know that people actually read this. Thanks so much for the reviews, it gave me a little more confidence for this story.

Prince Joker- I'm sorry if that seemed a little unclear, what I meant with that part was that Sarah had tried to forget the labyrinth, she put it in the back of her mind so she could just forget about it. She wanted to forget it like she wanted to forget her childhood. And she wanted to forget her childhood because she felt like it was time for her to "grow up". Is that a little more clear now? Again, sorry for that.

Now, on to the new chapter

Through Dangers untold and hardships unnumbered………Sarah packed her bags into the truck of her ancient Honda accord. There wasn't much to her stuff as all she could afford right now was school supplies and text books. She slid behind the wheel of the car next, and immediately went for the heat. It was going to get cold later, meaning she'd freeze her butt off on the two hour drive, her heater went on the fritz too often._ I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City…………_She turned on the ignition and sat there, but only for a moment. _To take back the child you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom is as great…………_She adjusted in her seat to be able to direct her way out of the parking lot. "Damn." she muttered aloud. "I can never remember the next line." _You have no power over me._

Sarah packed her bags into the truck of her ancient Honda accord. There wasn't much to her stuff as all she could afford right now was school supplies and text books. She slid behind the wheel of the car next, and immediately went for the heat. It was going to get cold later, meaning she'd freeze her butt off on the two hour drive, her heater went on the fritz too often.She turned on the ignition and sat there, but only for a moment. She adjusted in her seat to be able to direct her way out of the parking lot. "Damn." she muttered aloud. "I can never remember the next line." 

Sarah hated driving like this, in the gloomy weather when anything and everything blew onto her windows and stuck there because it was damp, but even more so, when she had other things on her mind. Ever since that past night, she couldn't get those lines out of her head. It was most likely from reading the book over and over. What was even weirder was that they repeated so smoothly that it was as if she **needed** to keep reciting them.

The silence began to overwhelm her. That was another thing she hated, the silence of a car ride. As she reached for radio controls, she glanced to the side of the road. Something scattered away at the motion of her car. If Sarah had blinked that moment, she would've missed it. The thing had been rather large, more like a bear, and it disappeared through the brush. It walked, it did not scurry like a four legged animal. "What was that?" she questioned aloud, more spoken words to herself as she had been doing a lot these days.

Curiosity had the better of her, it caused her to pull to the side of the road and stop the car. She shivered in hesitation, fear, and the cold. She tilted her head to the side and peered out the side window on the right of her, not daring to immediately rush out for an investigation. She saw nothing and decided that now she would take a closer look. Ever so slowly and as quiet as she could possibly function, she opened her car door and shut it, then crept to the opening of the brush. The trees seemed to go on in almost perfect darkness.

The only noise around her was the wind that called from the trees and the few birds overhead making way for the south. There was no noise of a large animal. Still, Sarah waited. And nothing came.

After a little bit, she resided back to her car, opening the door to climb in when yet another noise caught her attention. A loud groan that sounded both inhuman and soft. It rolled a little like thunder, but sounded most unlike that of an animal as well. "How strange." she commented, casting her eyes back on the wood.

It was quiet again. Only no birds haunted the skies, and even the wind seemed a little frightened. No other cars drove by the beaten path off the wood so Sarah was nearly all by herself. This did not comfort her. She hoped now that that would be the only sound she heard, but then another came. Sarah jumped this time and made a hurried attempt at crawling back into the safety of her car until she realized that the sound the creature made wasn't a groan at all, but more of a word……or a name……

"Luuuuudddo," Is what it sounded like. Little by little, Sarah pulled away from the car to inspect the outlines of the trees again. But she, again, saw nothing. And after waiting, again, she heard nothing.

"Ludo? I _am_ going crazy." She sighed finally returning to her car for good.

The incident with the creature haunted Sarah's mind the rest of her trip home. She couldn't place the sort of animal it was, nor could she figure what the strange 'noise' it made was. The facts she could conclude were that it was large, it may have walked on two legs, and it made funny noises. Not very helpful at all, though.

But with time, she forgot all about it.

When she pulled up the stony drive in front of the old wood House with chipping yellow paint and fading wooden shutters, she relaxed a little. A lot of memories had originated here.

Sarah could almost see a younger version of herself running home in that stupid dress, carrying that red book and with Merlin in toe. She'd hiked up the soft cream colored dress in her hands and run as fast as she could to avoid any trouble with her step mother. Then as walked inside, both her father and her step mother would give her strange looks, but did not question the presence of the dress. They just knew not to ask.

"Sarah!" A graying man with a sweater vest and black Dockers stepped onto the porch. He curled a leather-bound book under his arm and had his other arm extended out to her. Sarah's eyes nearly watered at the site of her father Robert.

"Daddy!" she replied, running into his arms. Even at 19 years old, she still needed to feel that safety of her father's arms.

"Let's go inside."

The bedroom at the top of the stairs had barely been touched since Sarah moved out of it. Of course it was nearly empty now, only a bed, some book shelves, and that old vanity remained. The room, like everything else lately, was haunted by memories of the past. But Sarah had little time to ponder that as her father called her back down stairs. "Coming!" she replied, dropping her bags on the floor.

On her way out the door, she heard a small crack from under her foot. She stepped back and looked down at a small plastic bracelet with a sporadic pattern of beads.

"Sarah? Are you coming for dinner?"Robert summoned for a second time before she had a chance to examine the little bracelet, so she slid it onto her wrist and ran downstairs.

"Sarah! Toby's eyes lit up the minute his sister had entered the room. "Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!" he cried, suctioning his body to her side.

"Oh…hey Toby…" Sarah patted her brother's head, then looked up on her observant parents. Her step mother, in particular, was looking down on her.

"Hello, Sarah." Karen, her step mother, said promptly.

Sarah gave her a blank look and nodded. "Hello, how are you?"

"Good, thank you." A fraction of a smile crossed Karen's lips.

"Look, Sar, your step mother made you spaghetti, your favorite."Robert poked his head over his wife's shoulder. He was still aware of the tension between step daughter and step mother, he always did his best to ease that.

"Thank you very much." Sarah smiled brightly.

Four year old Toby helped set the table for everyone to eat. The actual dinner was silent for a majority, except for a few phrases from Toby and awkward questions inquired by Karen. Then, shortly after dinner was done,Karen andRobert washed the dishes and left for the weekend.

Sarah collapsed on the living room couch, Toby did the same. "What do you want to do?" Toby asked.

"I dunno." Sarah shrugged and sighed, leaning her head in her palm.

Toby ran off to pick a toy from his room to play with while Sarah fiddled with the TV remote. When Toby returned, he was holding a small metal helmet. "What's this? What's this, Sarah?" he extended the helmet out to Sarah, looking at her intently like she had the answers to everything in the world.

Sarah took the small helmet in her hands, appraising the size and the appearance of it's little horns. One unmistakable factor was that it had no chance of fitting Sarah's head, but it could definitely fit Toby's. She tapped it a few times with her fist, it was definitely real. But Where did it come from?

"That's like a goblin helmet." Toby piped up.

**End of Second Chapter**

A/N: Thanks again for the awesome comments. I hope this chapter wasn't too bad, it's gonna get better.

Thanks for reading!

Kris


	3. A Splendid Party

Chapter Three

A Splendid Party

A/N: Thanks again for all those awesome comments, I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this and sticking it out to see where it goes. The comments are much appreciated.

Okay, so here we go…..

"What are you talking about Toby?" Sarah asked him, placing the helmet aside for a moment. The words from Toby's mouth seemed so uncharacteristic of him, unless he knew something she didn't.

"Goblins. You know, the Goblins…" Toby's voice sounded excited.

"What Goblins?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and she brushed the fine hairs away from his face.

"The ones in my room." He nodded and turned away to snatch up the helmet. Sarah's jaw dropped slightly, watching as Toby walked away from her as if nothing unusual was going on at all.

An evening of **The Hunchback of Notre Dame **movie, three chocolate ice cream cones between the two of them, and a vast carpeted wasteland of "dead" plastic army soldiers, Toby was FINALLY ready for bed. Sarah took him to his room and thought no more about what he mentioned earlier of the Goblins. She tucked him into the covers, kissed his head lightly, then walked out of the room.

At around midnight, Sarah shut herself in her room. The old brass door knob prodded her back as she leaned against the door, but she paid no mind. She sighed, her eyes cast towards the vanity in the corner of her room. A sketchbook, another obsolete object from her past, of navy blue laid there innocently. She remembered that old past time of hers. Inside were sketches of Kings, Princes, Queens, and Princesses, fantastic animals with odd horns planted randomly on their blue and yellow colored heads, unicorns and magical toad stools. She never considered herself very talented at the art, but it was enough to keep her amused at the time.

She steadily approached it and ran her fingers over it's fraying cardboard cover before she flipped it open and scanned through it's crisp pages. There was one page near the end that she predominantly wanted to see.

It was a picture, different than the sketches. Time was clearly taken in the process of drawing, unlike the black and white charcoal pictures that appeared throughout the rest of the book, this one was colorful with reds and blues, greens and yellows. Detail was noticeably considered about the face and body of the man she had drawn. Beneath the drawing were the printed words that said: MY PRINCE.

Sarah now ran her slender fingers over "Her Prince". His eyes were profound and captivating. They did not hold malice or egocentricity, like other men she knew, but love and charity instead. One eye was slightly more off colored than the other. But the idea was that she loved the character's imperfections. His hair was blonde and wild, his frame was tall and skinny with the perfect proportion of muscle. His attire was most fanatical, long robes and knee-high boots.

The figure was drawn when Sarah had barely touched the age of fourteen, right around the time when all her fantasies of palaces and royalty began. Though, now, as she gazed over the page in front of her, she was realizing the familiar aspects of his features. All these years and she had never seen it before. But how could she have drawn it before the Labyrinth? Before Jareth?

"Jareth." She breathed.

The wind picked up outside, it whistled through her window panes. It made Sarah become conscious of how cold she felt. She shivered as she glanced back down at the chilling picture. Impulsively, she slammed the book shut. She closed her eyes with a few short breaths. "It can't be real…." she whispered into the cool air.

A loud noise caused Sarah to jump. It had come from Toby's room, she was sure of it. Toby's room was relocated right beside her own and she could hear every noise that came from it.

"Toby!" She called, throwing open her door and running to the entrance of her brother's bedroom. "Toby?" she said again, softer than the call.

The noises did not cease, they grew more chaotic behind the wooden door and Sarah could've sworn that there were voices of children, laughing and having a crazy time. Sarah wasn't exactly sure what to think as she pushed open the door and saw nothing. Toby was deep in sleep, tucked beneath the covers like she had left him. She double checked that, she couldn't be too careful after her experience with the Labyrinth, and shook her head.

"God, Sarah." she hugged, exiting the room and quietly closing the door behind her. "Get a grip."

The moment the door was shut, things inside were silent but for only an instant. Sarah had not even reached her room when the noises returned. "What is going on!" she rushed back to the room and busted through it. This time she gasped in horror. There wereno children, instead there weregoblins everywhere.

Fat ones, skinny ones, tall ones, and short ones all dancing around the room with no care in the world. Ones with pointy horns hung from Toby's lights above the bed, ones with long tails of different colors climbed up the window curtains, ones with big bug-like eyes and cat-like ears drank from goblets of their own creation, ones with large feet and gaping mouths were jumping on Toby's bed, yet they managed to keep him from waking. They didn't seem to notice Sarah either, who was so aghast that she backed out the door and slammed it shut behind her.

She breathing reduced to rapid breaths and with trembling hands, she reached for the door handle once more. She opened the door and saw nothing. Not a trace of any goblin was left. No goblets or shoes or even hairs. The room was spotless as if nothing had gone on at all.

Sarah shut the door and left it that way, she backed away slowly and sunk into a corner of the hallway. She huddled there and buried her head in her arms for a brief cry. Could she really be going crazy?

In another moment, she had gathered herself and got off the floor to go to bed. She was exhausted.

She stepped into her room, leaning against the door as she shut it. She drawled in another slow breath with her eyes closed to regain herself. In her mind, she had decided that she would just deal with this in the morning.

But as she opened her eyes, they immediately fell upon the mirror of the vanity. It reflected the corner which she could not see from where she was. What stood in corner caused Sarah's heart to leap. A tall man was there with a wicked grin and untamed golden hair.

"Hello Sarah." He said in a deep voice with his estranged accent.

end of chapter

A/N: How was that? I'm thinking I should make the chapters a little longer. I'll probably start doing that once things get more exciting, but for now you guys have to deal. Thank you so much for the wonderful comments! It really helps me keep going!

Thanks for reading.


	4. The Illusion

Chapter Four

The Illusion

_A/N: You guys are so awesome. I love all your kind words and awesome reviews. Very encouraging. I seriously did not expect anybody to like this, especially after the two Laby fics I've obsessed myself with over the past week. So keep it coming. I appreciate every word!_

Sarah bit her lip, hoping with every bit of her that this wasn't real, that there wasn't a vindictive Goblin King in the corner of her bedroom. Yet Sarah looked at him and could not deny it. He was there in all arrogance, power, and callousness. Sarah turned away from the individual and covered her face in her hands. She tried her best to wish his face away, nearly amounting to a cry.

"Pleased to see me?" Came to a voice in her ear, the hot breath of his tickling the insides of it. He was very near to her, she could feel it. She gave no reply.

The Goblin King acknowledged not a care. "Open your eyes." he said, almost gently.

For reasons unknown, Sarah obeyed. In front of her played a scene of unearthly labyrinthine creatures gowned in magnificent dresses of silver like the moon and gold like the sun. Some donned masks of elaborate design and appeared as horses or birds or cats. Among them were other strange beasts from his world, but only three were familiar to her. They bared the unmistakable resemblance to her three friends, her three best friends; Ludo, Hoggle, and Sir Didymus (who was perched on the ever-so loyal Ambrosius). She raised her hand for their attention, but they did not see her, even though it was as if they were looking right at her.

Then it all became clear, this was an illusion.

"All this…" came that voice in her ear again as the Goblin King bent forward to her. "…it can be yours Sarah…..it's not too late…."

She still did not reply. She studied the court of a world that was not her own, a world she was terribly unfamiliar with.

"Don't you want this to be yours?" he pressed, now his hands were fixed on her shoulders. She could feel his warmth through her sweatshirt.

"What are you talking about?" she asked breathlessly as she settled for a gaze at one particular being.

"SARAH!" Came a cry, then a loud pounding from behind them. Sarah turned away from the panorama, which faded back to her bedroom as soon as her eyes met the door. "SARAH!" it was Toby and he was crying.

"Oh…Toby…" Sarah opened the door and knelt to his level, scooping her brother into her arms like a loving mother would do. "What's wrong, Toby?" she asked, soothingly stroking his soft blonde hair.

"I…" he sniffled and was rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I….I had a bad dream…"

"Oh, what a shame. What was it about?" Sarah asked, pulling away slightly so she could look at him.

"Monsters…" he said sadly.

"Monsters?"

"Mhmm." Toby nodded, then clung himself to her neck. Sarah gently picked him up.

"Do you want to stay with me here tonight?" she asked so generously, a bit unlike herself. Normally, she would have turned him away, discarding him as a brat. But tonight was different, since she'd been at college, she found herself longing for him.

"Mhmm." Toby nodded into Sarah's shoulder.

"Okay." Sarah glanced around the room, checking for any remembrance of the Goblin King. But he wasn't there. She gave a relieved sigh and walked to the bed as if there was nothing unusual about this. Toby had already fallen back to sleep so she just set him down on her pillow.

"He's grown." Sarah nearly jumped at the voice, it was back and behind her.

"Yes." Sarah replied simply, side-stepping away and moving for the other side of her bed. She was careful not to meet Jareth's eyes.

The room was deathly silent, although neither seemed to care. Jareth had been eying many of her fairytale trinkets on the shelves. He stepped closer to the bookshelf nearest him and ran his fingers down a few of their spines as he read the titles.

"What are you doing?" Sarah finally allowed herself to glance up when she concluded that it was very out of the ordinary for The Goblin King not to speak.

"Simply admiring your possessions." he replied nonchalantly, his finger lingered on a book of Fairytale Myths.

"And who gave you permission to do so?" Sarah inquired him, fuming and with her hands on her hips.

"No one. I do not need permission from anyone." He replied to her, still keeping it cool.

"When you're in my bedroom you need permission from me to do anything. Now why are you here?" She demanded, her patience was growing very thin.

"My dear, Sarah…" Jareth only plastered on one of his smirks and took a step closer towards her very determined frame. "…I am here to reclaim what's mine."

At first thought, Sarah glanced down at the young boy in bed. Something clenched her heart like a iron fist. "Not Toby." she said slowly, her guard down a little.

"No, not Toby." The fist released her heart, but she still did not like the way he was smiling at her or the way that he chuckled in such a menacing way.

"Then, what do you want? I have nothing of yours." she stated, quickly picking her guard back up.

"You say that with such confidence that I wonder what evidence you have behind your words." he said with amusement.

"What?" Sarah's eyes grew small as she searched his face for some answer. What she should have remembered was that his face was unreadable. It always had been and that hadn't changed. There was always a barrier that he hid behind, Sarah could tell that much, but what he was like without the barrier, she had no idea and didn't like her thoughts dwelling there.

The Goblin King stepped away, his shoulders straight and his posture perfectly upright, he never faltered to appear like a king. "I did not come here for the baby. He was recovered fairly, you got him back and for that, you should be grateful. However, something you did not care to question is what happens afterwards."

Sarah's face fell, her eyes looked towards the floor as she tried to make out his words. "What happens afterwards?" she asked him, slow to speak for fear of an answer.

"I did not win the babe, so I need another to take that place."

His words cut away at her. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Sarah, you're a clever girl. I expect that if anyone were to figure me out, it would be you." He began to pace in front of her, this only made Sarah more uncomfortable.

"Are….are you saying that you want _me_ instead of Toby?" she asked, more curious than frightened at this moment.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Jareth stopped in front of her, his face only inches away from her own.

"Why now? Why has it been five years and you come now for me?" the fear was finally kicking into her voice, although her face wouldn't allow it to show.

"Sarah…..why do you continue to fight me? Life could be so easy so you…" Jareth used one of his leathered hands to brush the stray hairs from her face.

"Don't touch me." Sarah said with offense as she stepped away from his finger tips. "I want nothing to do with you."

"You do not yet realize that everything has to do with me." he spoke in almost a whisper.

"Wh----leave. Leave me ALONE!" Sarah held up her arms to push him away, but Jareth was too quick for her liking and was able to grab her wrists to prevent her from even touching him.

"Very well. I shall be back in the morning." He told her and before she could protest, he was gone.

The room became dark. Sarah blinked a couple of times, adjusting her eyes to the darkness. There was no trace of the Goblin King.

Sarah bolted up in bed. She griped the thin sheets between her fingers and looked around in a desperate hope. Toby was asleep beside her still. It was early morning so the sun was barely visible over the trees in the William's backyard. A startling crash had caused Sarah to awaken from her slumber, and also made her realize that she hadn't dreamt the Goblin King. He had really been in her bedroom the night before.

With her heart pounding so hard that it nearly broke through her chest, Sarah ran through the door and down to the bottom floor. Now she took her step cautiously. The noises did not stop and they did not sound like the noises in Toby's room from last night. But it did sound chaotic and Sarah could only fear what she would find once she opened the door to the kitchen.

Sarah reached out for the door knob and pushed the door open. Not a gasp escaped her, but her eyes bulged wide and a hand clasped to her mouth. It was worse than just the Goblins. Goblins were tearing apart cereal boxes from the cupboard, but Firey's were also dancing on her kitchen table.

"Hey!" Cried one who was balancing his head on his ankle. "Come join us!" it cried. Then another reached for Sarah and caught to sleeve of her pajama top. Sarah screamed and backed herself out of the room.

"What is going on?" Sarah choked out a small sob and sunk to the floor.

A Goblin flew out the kitchen door seconds later and missed her only by inches. Sarah witnessed the incident and only cried harder. What was she to do?

"I need to leave…I need to get out of here…." Another Goblin flew out the door and landed with the other Goblin, who was chuckling heartily. Sarah dodged them both and flew to her room. Quickly, she dressed and the shook Toby awake.

She left Toby no time for questions and dressed him. "We have to leave, Toby." she said in her most rational voice, trying carefully not to alert him.

"Where are we going?"

"I…." Sarah was having difficulty with her trembling hands as she was buttoning his jacket. "…I don't know…but….but we'll find somewhere to go at least for a little bit…."

Toby did not ask anymore questions and allowed Sarah to pick him and nearly run down the stairs with him clenched to her chest.

The Goblins and Fireys, by this time, had made their way out to the living room and were causing much havoc there.

"Oh God…" Sarah groaned when she caught a glimpse of the broken lamps and torn book pages. But she only urged herself to keep moving and got to the front door. She went for the knob but the door didn't open. She struggled and pulled with tears of frustration coming down, but it wouldn't give. Then she looked up to see a hand that was blocking it's way. Sarah traced the arm to the body and was met with a face of amusement.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sarah asked, through gritted teeth.

"Sarah…" Toby whined with fright, pulling his arms tighter around his sister.

Jareth clicked his teeth at the child and extended his arms to take him from Sarah, but Sarah was determined not to let the boy go. "Oh, little Toby…" Jareth cooed.

"Let him go….what do you want with us…" Sarah was shaking her head. Jareth finally was able to pry Toby from her arms and hold him in his own. Toby's face was plastered with fear, he could not fight against this.

"How many times must I tell you?" Jareth frowned. "An eye for an eye….a tooth for a tooth. Toby won't be mine….but someone must be."

Sarah's eyes were clouded with tears.

"You were the only one to ever beat my labyrinth, Sarah. I have never lost a child…..until your dear brother here……and since I cannot claim him because you have won him back fairly….I need another."

"Another child?" Sarah titled her head and used her hand to wipe away a few tears.

"The foolish human who wished away the child." He answered and smirked, running his fingers through Toby's hair. Toby looked at his sister, he reached for her, but Jareth held him back. "You will love me Sarah."

"I will NEVER love you." She told him, boldness behind her words.

The goblins laughed behind him. Sarah had almost forgotten they were there, let alone that they were hanging onto their dialogue. Jareth glanced behind him at them and then looked back at Sarah. "Now Sarah, you must have learned by now that it is unwise to go against my words. Have you not noticed the goblins, the fireys, the pieces of my world here in your own."

Hesitantly, Sarah nodded.

"In no time at all…" Jareth's voice became unpleasantly resonant. "….this world as you know it will no longer exist and my world will have taken it's place."

Sarah's eyes narrowed, she was trying with all her might not to show her fear. "Are you not satisfied with your own world that you need to take over this one too? Are you that selfish?"

"I hardly call that selfish since you took over my world, I am left with nothing to do but to take yours." he replied. Toby was looking at the man he was held by and was almost ready to start crying himself, so Jareth held him tighter and moved side to side in order to comfort him. "If you do not choose to come with me, Sarah, this world will be but nothing in only a short time."

"I don't believe you. You're lying." She sneered and reached for Toby. Jareth hardly expected this and let the child be taken from his arms. "Go back to your labyrinth and stay there." She opened the door and slammed it shut in his face.

The Goblin King crossed his arms over his chest and with his front to the door, a leer crept wickedly over his pale face. "I'll have you Sarah, you'll fall in love with me and you won't even realize it."

_Okay that was a little longer. Although length matters little to some of you, it makes others of you happy. : ) All right so how was that? I hope it was good for you guys because I have an awesome idea for this story and I want you kids to hang on. I just hope that nobody's done it before. Anyway, thanks again for the awesome reviews. Every word is encouraging._


	5. Mr Jones and the Strange Day

_A/N: I love the response I'm getting to this story. It's awesome and I'm just gonna continue to praise you all. : )….Anyway, so seriously, why won't this dumb thing let me keep my asterisks and the little squiggly things, I used those a lot to separate things and stuff. It so sucks, but oh well, I guess I'll deal. So here's the next chapter. I hope you kids enjoy this as much as I enjoy this story. OH! One question, does anybody know what the name of the park is that Sarah was at in the beginning of the movie. I'm talking like real life, the Princess Diaries also had a shot of that little park too and I really wanna know what it's called. But for now I'm calling it Heckscher State Park because its just a random park name I found online and some of this movie was filmed in NY so I just like to assume the story as well takes place there.Unless anybody wants to point out otherwise.Okay, enough babbling. Read : )_

Chapter Five- Mr. Jones

Sarah had no where to go. The entire world was a vast desert and she was stranded like a fish. About an hour after her and Toby had fled their house of insanity, they were walking down Rolland Street hand in hand. Sarah no longer had friends to turn to and family was too far away to go to. The air was colder too and all that either had were flimsy jackets so that now they both were shivering, even though the sun shown done hard.

Eventually they came to Heckscher State Park on the other side of town. It wasn't actually far from The William's home, it took less than an hour to walk to on any normal day, but today was just different.

The park was abandoned, but it was always abandoned around this time of the year. The large lake on it's premises brought the beauty, but it did not offer much recreation for people when the weather was this cool. Sarah led Toby inside the park and took a seat by the lake's edge. She let her dark hair fall in her face as she watched the ripples grow bigger, leave, and then return with each blow of the wind. Toby did not stay by her side long, he was a rather curious young boy and enjoyed chasing the leaves that blew around. When his brown eyes set sight on a sunny fish beneath the water's top, he followed it over the bridge and to the other side of the lake. Sarah kept a careful eye on him, but she didn't follow. It all seemed fine to her.

A lot of nothing clouded Sarah's thoughts. Most of them were directed atJareth. The mere sight of him made her want to vomit, but yet now that she was away from him, something inside her wanted to see him again. As hard as she tried to push thoughts like that to the back of her mind, it did not work. There was just something so…captivating….something so…..sexually stimulating that she wanted to fantasize about. Maybe it was his cruelty, the way he could be so mean and yet be playful about it. Or perhaps it was the way he wanted to please her without giving her her way. Or maybe it was just his alluring and bewitchingfeatures.

Sarah shook her head to try and ridit of such thoughts. She ran her hand through her hair and tugged a chunk of it. "Stop it…stop it…stop it…" she said to herself.

She directed her attention up at the graying sky. There were fewer birds now as it neared winter, but for some strange reason she could hear what sounded like flapping wings. Her eyes scanned the span of sky she could see and then moved to the trees that surrounded her. What she could not see was the owl that landed in one of them.

Instinctively, Sarah looked back around the lake for Toby's body, but she did not see it. She jumped to her feet in fear with her heart racing. The little boy was not in sight and she cursed herself for letting him get away.

The display she saw next jolted her nerves, she would have run straight through the lake if she could, just to get to him. Toby was balancing himself on a tree stump and was about to fall in.

"TOBY!" She cried, forcing herself to run harder than her feet would allow.

A force flew by herso fast that itnearly knocked her in the water as well. It disappeared behind a bush that now blocked her view of Toby. She heard asplash and another splash that made her only fear the worst as she rounded that bush. She stopped herself by the lake's edge, heaving and panting and clutching her side as she reclaimed breath.

She blinked away the tears and sweat to see a man pulling Toby from the water and lay his body on the grass.

"Oh my god." Sarah cried and knelt by her brother's side. The man cast a look at Sarah and looked back down at the body. Toby looked dead, and Sarah feared he was, but the man knew better. Only moments later, Toby sat upright and was coughing over himself. Water spewed everywhere.

"Oh, Toby." Sarah grabbed him and held him tight as he still coughed. "What were you doing?"

"I dare say, miss….." The man spoke up in a light, friendly voice. His accent was strange, like theEnglish. It was almost familiar to Sarah. "….It was you who left him to wander, was it not?"

Sarah opened her mouth to retort, but no words came. Toby was breathing heavily against her own body, but he also made no attempt to reply. "Yes…bu-but I did not think he would fall in like that…."

"Yes, but, the boy is only about….four…maybe five, am I correct?"

"Yes, but-"

"Forgive me." The man exhaled softly. "It is not my business."

Sarah finally looked towards the rescuer. She did owe him much. He had such a kind face with short, wispy blonde hair that hung loosely in his eyes. He was tall and very thin, dressed in a gray business suit. His facial countenance was very distinct, from cheek bones to the creases in his forehead. He was very handsome, but so familiar.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Sarah realized she had been staring, she had forgotten to reply to him and felt embarrassed. She did not mean to stare at him, but his face….it was so….she was sure she had seen him before.

"I'm sorry, but….well….have we met before?" she asked. The man looked into her eyes and a warm smile came on his face.

"No, I don't believe so." he said, his eyes did not leave Sarah's.

Those eyes…_I've seen those eyes before _She thought. His two eyes were slightly different from each other. One was defiantly blue, but the other looked darker. Both were beautiful, it was easy for Sarah to lose herself in them.

…She thought. His two eyes were slightly different from each other. One was defiantly blue, but the other looked darker. Both were beautiful, it was easy for Sarah to lose herself in them. 

The man, on the other hand, broke their gaze as he stood. Sarah looked up at him, then stood up herself, holding Toby, who was sniffling with cold.

"Your boy looks like he's caught a bit of a cold." The man indicated Toby in her arms.

"Oh…" Sarah looked down at the blonde head resting on her shoulder. "…he's not mine, he's my brother."

"I know." said the man.

"You do?" her eyes narrowed.

"Well, I mean, I figured…..you look too young to have a child." he told her, causing her to blush. She knew he was just talking sweet, she was old enough to have a child of her own if she were married, but she enjoyed the idea all the same. "Forgive me, I do not know your name."

"I'm Sarah…." she said now rocking Toby. "….who are you?"

"I'm James."

"James?"

"James Jones." The man stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"James Jones?" Sarah nodded. "That's quite an interesting name."

"Is it?" James looked down at her. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Sarah."

"You too." Sarah replied.

"I hope to see you around." He bowed his head to her graciously and turned to walk away.

Sarah watched him leave and then realized that she had not thanked him. She would have let him go, figuring he wouldn't have noticed, but with the she would use any excuse to be able to talk to him again; even if it was just one more sentence.

"James!" Sarah called, rushing towards the man. He turned on the balls of his feet and faced her once more with a smile. "I'm sorry, I forgot to thank you. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't there. Thank you."

James did not speak, he only nodded his head.

"Well….um…" Sarah bit her lip and looked away.

"Perhaps you and your brother would like to accompany me to lunch?" He proposed.

"Sure." Sarah told him. "I'd like that…..but I think I should get Toby changed first."

"Don't you worry, I'll take care of that." He said, placing a hand on Sarah's back.

As Sarah walked alongside the man, she thought about the morning. That memory had left until now, and it was certainly strange. This day had been strange so far. And tonight, she did not look forward to returning to a house either a) still occupied by Goblins, Fireys, and other creatures or b) a house destroyed by Goblins, Fireys, or other creatures. In fact, she wasn't even sure why she agreed to each lunch with a person she had just met, a man none the less. Zack had been persistent of her time for a while now and she had never once considered saying yes to his offers, but when this handsome stranger requested lunch, she did not hesitate. And as bizarre as it was, she did not feel the need to care.

James was great company. He laughed at Sarah's jokes, he listened intently when she talked about her fairy tales and her days of acting in the school plays. He held open doors for her, he always made sure that she was content with herself. She was really beginning to like him.

James said he would take care of Toby's outfit and he kept his word. There was a small shop in town that was known for it's unique clothing for children. That was where he took them and purchased Toby a collard blue and red plaid polo shirt and khaki pants. Sarah was beside herself. This man was doing everything for them, how could she repay him. She offered to buy the outfit herself, but James only raised a hand and said, "I offered to take care of it and I do not intend to do otherwise." Sarah watched him stuff his hands into his pocket. There was no bulge of a wallet, but he pulled one from the pocket of his dress pants. She tilted her head curiously, but did not think much of it.

At noon, James took Sarah and Toby to a small café called Sloan's. Several items on the menu were more than Sarah could have ever afforded, she certainly could not let him buy their food. "It's too expensive." she said, placing her menu onto the table.

James looked at her and placed the menu back in her hands. "Do not worry." he simply said andwent back to his ownmenu.

Sarah still ordered the item that cost the least, a French soup, and did the same for Toby. Up until now, Toby had remained quiet for such an energetic four year old. After james mentioned that he used to believe in Goblins when he was young,Toby wouldn't shut up. James clasped his hands together while leaning forward to hear all of Toby's goblin stories. He would occasionally nod to show that he was, indeed, listening and it looked like the two were actually engaged in a serious conversation.

The waitress arrived with the food and placed their orders in front of each. Toby did not waste time as he had not eaten breakfast. Sarah also had not eaten a breakfast, but she worked more slowly, eager to get in a word with James now that Toby was preoccupied.

"So what do you do, exactly?" Sarah asked him, unfolding a fabric napkin and placing it over her lap.

"Like….a job?" James asked, taking up a water glass and bringing it to his lips.

"Um, yea." Sarah thought the question was rather understandable, but she did not take a moment to dwell on that, and just began eating.

"I…uh…I am the head of a prestigious…um….business…" He replied, trying to make his words sound as sincere as possible.

"Really? That's interesting. What sort of business?" she inquired further.

"Well…um…" James shoved a piece of bread into his mouth to allow time to think while he chewed his food. "….I actually watch over groups of other businesses to make sure they're doing what is required of them." he said with a confident nod. It was all too convincing, he hoped.

"Hmmmm…sounds interesting…." she said, but James was sure that she did not mean it. He wasn't even sure if she even knew what he was talking about.

"James? James? James?" Toby cocked his head at James, trying to get his attention.

"Yes, little goblin."James lightly chuckled and looked at the boy. Sarah sighed and continued to eat.

"Do you have any kids for me to play with?" he asked, bits of complimentary cracker falling from his chin.

"No. I do not." James replied, he did not see Sarah's smile of relief.

"Do you have a wife?" Toby pressed further, suddenly pecked with curiosity of the man.

"No. I do not have one of those either." James promptly turned his chin upwards as if to look more professional. He still did not see Sarah's wide smile.

They ate in the quiet for a little while. Toby spooned his soup happy and when he decided that he wasn't hungry anymore, he used his crackers as life boats for the sinking pieces of carrot and cucumber. Sarah finished her soup and delicately wiped her mouth. She didn't realize that James was watching her until their eyes met.

"I'm sorry, I do not mean to stare." he said, lowering his eyes to her empty soup bowl. "Was it good?"

"Yes, thank you very much." Sarah nodded, pushing her bowl away. She couldn't recall a time when she had had a better lunch.

"Good." James ate his last bite and waved for the waitress.

James paid the bill and walked the two out of the café. He placed his hand on Sarah's back once more as they walked up the street. "Where is it that you live?"

"Oh, um, we live up here." Sarah pointed up the street and hoped that this was where they would part. If Goblins were still in her home, she did NOT was James to know that.

"I shall walk you to your door then." He said and did not appear to be weak. He would clearly not back down.

"Um, okay." Sarah continued walking, holding Toby's hand. After the incident at the park, she felt obligated to be more careful.

Silence again filled the air except for the clicks of James' shoes on the concrete. Sarah had not noticed before, but he was wearing boots under his attire.

They reached the door step of the William's house. Sarah did not let Toby go ahead inside for fear that he would reveal the disaster within. This went unnoticed by James, all he saw was Sarah in front of him.

"Can I see you again?" He spoke gently, he did not want to sound too forward.

"I would like that." she said with an affectionate smile.

"I know where you live. It shall be a surprise then."

Sarah leaned up and placed a sweet kiss onhis cheek. He winked at her before heading down her porch steps.

Sarah's heart swelled, an intoxicating feeling swept over her as she turned her back on his retreating form to enter the house. The minute Toby's sneakers touched the floor, he was off. Sarah shut the door and walked into the living room. The silence was welcoming. Sheturned to a window on the right of her and peered through it, hoping to catch one last glimpse ofJames, but to her dismay, he had disappeared. He was not up the street, he was not down it.

But once again, Sarah paid no mind.

The clock in the foyer rang out. Sarah sighed and decided that it was time to face the mess that was sure to be seen all over the house. The day was so nice that she completely forgot about everything. But now that she was back home, the problems with a Goblin King who wanted to take her back to kingdom, Goblins who destroyed her house and partied in her brother's room, and the entirety of the Labyrinthine world taking claim over her own world, came back with full momentum. Even though Jareth and his Goblins were only in her home justthis morning, it still seemed so unreal.

She trudged her way to the den and saw….nothing. The place was spotless. Utterly bewildered and optimistic, she jogged to the kitchen. It, too, was asclean as a whistle. The whole downstairs, upon her inspection, was spotless.

"Perhaps they moved upstairs." she said aloud and went to the stairs. Naturally, she went into her room first. The room was as she left it except that now a short little man was polishing her vanity.

"Hoggle?" Sarah shrieked with excitement. The little man turned to face her and his face lit up.

"Oh…Sarah!" The two embraced.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Sarah found herself near tears with joy.

"Of course not, Sarah……but…." Hoggle reserved himself, then backed out of her arms modestly. "…..oh never mind…"

"But, what, Hoggle?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"….I best not tell ya, you might get frightened."

"I know about your world. Jareth told me."

Hoggle was silent and continued to dust. They both silently agreed to drop the subject.

"Those darn goblins were here this mornin' and made a mess of the place. I've been working all day tryin' to make it nice for ya, Sarah." he sounded bothered as he spoke, but Sarah ignored that.

"Thank you, Hoggle. That's very kind of you."

"Yea, well, if that Jareth hadn't disappeared on them, they woulda never left me be."

Jareth took shelter beneath a bridge with his goblins around him. They were creating their havoc as usual, but Jareth was thinking. He pulled one knee to his chest and gently touched the skin where a kiss had been placed.

End of chapter

_A/N: Wow, I was on a roll! These chapters keep getting longer! Okay, hope you enjoyed that. I had Jareth being rather soft in this chapter. That's on purpose, believe me, he had to be sweet in order to keep his cover. But do not worry, our Jareth will be himself throughout the rest of this story. Oh, just in case you need to know, James looks like David Bowie. Not that you couldn't figure that out. : ) I have to Thank you for all your reviews. You all are awesome, I cannot say it enough. I'd like to address one in particular (and for anyone who caught onto this as well):_

_LadySorrow: Oh no, you don't sound nit-picky, I definitely appreciate things like that because someone like me just misses little things like that completely. Actually, I've been reading Cormak3032 's stories and she had named them Robert and Karen and that had sounded right to me, like I knew that's what their names are, but I didn't want to actually take that and use those names because I thought that I would have like "stolen" it or something. I guess I should have paid more attention. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll go and fix that, thanks again._

_Okay, thanks for reading!_

_One more thing before I go. I'm just wondering if anybody would like to help me edit my story. I'm just not very good at it and sometimes parts sound weird to me and I feel like I need a second opinion. So if anybody is interested, email me, my email should be in my profile. thanks._


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